Sexual offences court mulled

12 February |
15:22

By SAPA

Johannesburg - A task team is looking at what resources will be needed to reopen the sexual offences courts, the justice department said on Tuesday.

“Following recent cases of sexual violence in the Western Cape and other parts of the country, minister 1/8Jeff 3/8 Radebe decided to give an update on the work done by the task 1/8team 3/8 he established last year to look into resuscitation of the sexual offences courts,” spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga said in a statement.

In December, the ministerial task team reviewing the closure of sexual offences courts recommended they be reinstated.

Mhaga said a timeframe for when this would happen had not been drawn up, but said Radebe was treating the matter seriously.

There was a public outcry about the rape and murder of Bredasdorp teenager Anene Booysen.

Booysen, 17, was found raped and severely injured at a construction site on the morning of February 2 and died in hospital that night.

After the story had been widely reported by the media, the hashtag #StopRape was trending on Twitter, and anti-rape marches were organised around South Africa.

Radebe has previously indicated that sexual offences courts will be re-opened soon.

“We want to be thorough in the process of auditing and also allocating enough funds, and also allocating the relevant people with the required skills,” Radebe said.

“People should exercise a bit of patience, but we're committed to ensuring that the process moves as fast as possible.” - Sapa